If you take the time to listen to The Heat Can Melt Your Brain thoroughly, you'll be handsomely rewarded. Underneath the layers of complex sound and innocent lyrics lies buried treasure. In less than an hour, Viva Voce takes you on a carefree excursion into their treasure chest of sound, barreling through a pop underbelly with soft sweeping waltzes, hip-hop and electronic southern-based rock.
Viva Voce takes ordinary-sounding instruments and makes them emerge sounding magical and exciting. Commanding guitar licks and slides, booming drums and rapid, calculated key strikes dominate the simple foundation of each song. Add into the equation hushed lyrics and gentle instrumental accents, and this equals a perfect combination of sound. By the third or fourth listen, layers such as the choir of kazoos and the gentle shake of sleigh bells blended into haunting reverberation of the saw become more evident.
Kevin and Anita, the husband/wife duo Viva Voce, take turns playing an array of instruments on this album, showcasing their versatility with each clap, hum of the kazoo, guitar riff and drum solo. From their kitchen, living room and hallways, layer upon layer of composition has been laid to form an elaborate self-recorded masterpiece.
I definitely feel like a pirate searching for buried treasure when I listen to this album. I've been in pursuit since the first listen, catching a new echo from Anita's angelic voice or a new celeste solo from Kevin one spin of the CD at a time. The Heat Can Melt Your Brain invites each eager listener to join in on this exciting hunt.
-Leah Pullem
(This was originally printed in the music magazine "Music Liberation Project")
